Human Engineer — The one who keeps the Ember Drift alive
Davan Kel is a broad-shouldered man in his early forties, perpetually squinting into something that needs fixing. He talks to machines more than to people, not because he dislikes people, but because machines respond predictably. He bought a partial stake in the Ember Drift three years ago because it was the first thing he had ever owned a share of, and he intends to keep it running until the hull gives out. Whatever that takes.
Pronouns: he/him
Characteristics
| MIG | AGI | INT | SAV | WIL | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
Wounds and Strain
Wounds: 13 boxes (10 + MIG 3) — ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
Strain: 13 boxes (10 + WIL 3) — ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
Resistance: 2 (half MIG 3, rounded up) + armor
Skills (rated skills only)
| Skill | Rating | Pool |
|---|---|---|
| Craft | 4 | INT 4 + Craft 4 = 8 dice |
| Electronics | 3 | INT 4 + Electronics 3 = 7 dice |
| Science | 2 | INT 4 + Science 2 = 6 dice |
| Astrogation | 2 | INT 4 + Astrogation 2 = 6 dice |
| Perception | 2 | SAV 2 + Perception 2 = 4 dice |
| Fortitude | 2 | MIG 3 + Fortitude 2 = 5 dice |
| Athletics | 1 | MIG 3 + Athletics 1 = 4 dice |
| Pilot | 1 | AGI 2 + Pilot 1 = 3 dice |
Initiative — On Watch: SAV 2 + Perception 2 = 4 dice
Initiative — Surprised: WIL 3 + Readiness 0 = 3 dice
Species Package
Human: No biological adjustments. Familiar infrastructure and flexible cultural access.
- Familiar Infrastructure: Davan never needs special accommodations for standard gear, ship stations, medical scanners, or pressure suits. In most ports, he can source replacement parts without special paperwork.
- Cultural Adaptability: Once per session, when in a human-majority port or institution, Davan may add 1 Boon Die to one social, legal, or logistical check by explaining which shared custom, credential, or habit he is drawing on.
Talents
Tinkerer (Tier 1): Davan may attempt improvised repairs using scavenged or mismatched components without the normal difficulty increase for improper materials. If he has at least one hour and any plausible source of parts, he can attempt it.
Jury Rig (Tier 1): Once per scene, Davan may spend 1 Strain to immediately stabilize a failing ship system as a free action, buying the crew one additional round before the system fails or the damage cascades. The system still needs proper repair afterward.
Stress Engineer (Tier 2): When Davan makes a Craft check to repair, bypass, or modify a system during active combat or a crisis scene, he removes 1 Bane Die from that check caused by time pressure, noise, danger, or distraction.
Equipment
- Multitool (Light Melee): A heavy-handled diagnostic and cutting tool that does the job in a pinch. Damage 4, Melee, Qualities: Utility (counts as a full toolkit for improvised repairs).
- Work Coveralls: Reinforced industrial clothing with tool pockets and integrated knee and elbow padding. Armor +1 (Resistance total: 3).
- Engineer's Kit: Diagnostic scanner, patch compound, bypass cables, sealant foam, a full set of manual and power tools rated for ship-scale work.
- Personal Communicator: Short and medium range, standard encryption.
- Emergency Rations (3 days)
- Credits: 900
Background
Davan grew up on Kerath Station, a mid-ring industrial colony in Funtari space where the work was steel fabrication and the culture was shift length and debt management. He learned engines before he could read contract law, which he has regretted at intervals ever since. A corporate logistics firm hired him young, worked him long, and then shed its fringe operations during a restructuring that left him holding a maintenance debt he did not incur. He took the buy-in on the Ember Drift from a Dhoran salvager who wanted out. He has never discussed the debt with the crew and does not intend to.
Playing Davan
Davan is the crew's safety margin. When something breaks, when the ship's systems start cascading, when someone needs a bypass improvised in three minutes, he is the answer. Reach for his skills whenever the job involves the Ember Drift itself: repairs under fire, diagnosing what is wrong before it kills everyone, coaxing more out of the engines than they should give.
In social scenes, Davan is not useless but he is not the right tool. He will say the honest thing at the wrong moment. Let the face characters take lead and use Davan as someone who notices practical details others miss: that the cargo hold was repressurized recently, that the docking collar shows scorch marks, that a relay terminal has been accessed in the last twelve hours.